Bondi-born coffee brand Will & Co has collaborated with neighbouring brewery Curly Lewis on a limited release Coffee Stout.

Brewed and packaged onsite at Curly Lewis in Bondi Beach, it is made with one of Will & Co’s signature blends, Three-Oh-Three. 

Curly Lewis Head Brewer Zac Pauling said that while the process of finding the right roast to complement the brew and determining when to introduce it into the brewing process and how much to use was quite tricky, but the addition of Will & Co’s speciality coffee beans took the beer to the next level.

“The first question that arises when brewing with coffee is how potent the flavour should be,” said Pauling. “Using more coffee, of course, means more pronounced flavours and aromas, however, using too much might overwhelm the brew.” 

“[The next is] how to get a harmonious roast note without picking up on too much acidity,” Pauling noted. A lot of this lies on when the coffee beans are introduced during the brewing process. For this coffee stout, the decision was made to do so on the cold side in the cellar, aka during second fermentation. This produced a nice roasted coffee character, which blended with the roasted malt flavours to produce a complex, multi-layered taste profile. 

The final question is which coffee to brew with.

“The type of coffee used impacts everything from flavours and mouthfeel to head retention and hops usage,” explains Pauling.

“Using a strong coffee, such as espresso or French roast, will provide a richer coffee essence with a creamy mouthfeel, but they also have a higher oil content which can reduce head retention. Meanwhile, lighter blends from origins like Sumatra or Guatemala Antigua will bring out more subtle qualities and produce an easier-drinking beer. Plus, they typically contain less oils leading to a stronger head retention.” 

The resulting Coffee Stout is available for a limited time online at Curly Lewis, in-store at 102-106 Campbell Parade, Bondi Beach and at all Vintage Cellars across NSW for $75 (16pk carton).